


Respect the Diabolical

by DoodlD



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demonic Possession, Demons, Fluff, Gay Panic, Hurt/Comfort, It doesn't happen often I promise, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Violence, Panic Attacks, Sexual Tension, Shane is so caring, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Tags May Change, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19854619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoodlD/pseuds/DoodlD
Summary: '"Ryan. You were screaming, you wouldn't stop." He spoke solemnly, his face scrunching up as a whirlwind of emotions bombarded him. Ryan cocked his head to one side, clearly confused, but understanding the weight of the situation, he decided not to push it.'When Ryan and Shane go to another haunted location for an episode of Unsolved they expect it to be like any other time. However, they accidentally come across something that could leave their relationship, and possibly relationships with others, ruined. Ryan has begun to act strangely, and Shane needs to find out what is happening to his closest friend.Maybe their views on one another will change along the way.





	Respect the Diabolical

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever work, so apologies in advance. Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are all greatly appreciated!! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> TW: Panic Attack, a brief description of injury

Shane sat back in the leather seat of the car the team had borrowed for the trip. So far, from what he knew, there wasn't anything too special about the location they were visiting.

It was their one demon episode for the season, Ryan had made it clear how he felt about this one in particular. The abandoned house doesn't happen to be owned by anyone in specific, at least for the moment. 

There have been multiple reports of your typical haunting. People reported hearing three knocks supposedly to mock the holy trinity. Others have claimed to have been scratched, choked, and held down to their beds. Of course, Shane believed this all to be bullshit. Many of the occurrences that have been reported could easily be chalked up to sleep paralysis, or an overactive mind.

He was ripped from his thoughts by a light punch in the shoulder, he looked to the side to see Ryan looking up expectantly at him. Shane was silent for a second before raising an eyebrow in question, to which Ryan scoffed half-heartedly and spoke.

"I was asking your thoughts on the case, long legs," Shane smirked at the nickname, who knows when Bergara had come up with that one, but it has become a staple part in their friendship. 

"You already know what I'm thinking, Ry, people will believe what they want to believe." He responded lazily, leaning back in his seat a bit more. Shane's lips did a small upturn at the sound of his friend's soft wheeze from beside him. Sometimes the trip was his favorite part when you forget about the tiredness, sore muscles, and possibly some mishaps with airplane hotdogs, it's surprisingly peaceful. 

"I don't know man, you might find that this will be the one." Ryan pulled out his phone to look back over the script. Sometimes he'd get like this, he would worry over small mistakes and work himself to death trying to make everything perfect.

"Ghosts and demons aren't real, Ryan." He sneakily got his hand close to his friend's phone when he plucked it from his hands, snickering at Ryan's offended look. "Dude, you have got to stop killing yourself over this script, it looks great!" He used his long arms to hold the phone out of Ryan's reach, though that didn't stop him from trying to snatch it back.

Ryan gave him a salty look, one that promised he'd get him back later, but he didn't pay attention to that. After a few more failed attempts at grabbing his phone, Ryan stopped trying to get it back, instead he focused on making conversation with TJ and Devon who sat in the front. 

Shane took this time to go onto his own phone, spending a bit of time scrolling through Twitter and occasionally switching to Instagram. The quiet chatter of his friends and the radio music provided good background noise.

Eventually, when he got bored of aimless scrolling, he decided to look into the place they would be investigating. Going off of what Ryan has told him, he thinks he's got the right picture of the house pulled up on his phone. Shane took a moment to study it, it definitely looked like a haunted house, that is if demons and ghosts existed. 

"Hey, Ry, this is the correct house, right?" Shane leaned closer to his friend, showing the picture he had pulled up on his phone to him. Ryan, who had been looking out the window, peered over to look at the phone. 

"That's the one, I told you it was fucking creepy, dude." Ryan shuddered before pushing Shane's phone away from him, "get that creepy thing away from me." Ryan laughed at the last part, Shane laughing along with him. 

The rest of the ride was uneventful as they drew closer to their destination. The hotel they had booked for the trip was about average, nothing too terribly special. All of them unpacked their stuff from the car, taking their time to carry up the multiple sets of equipment and take in their travel bags. Once everyone had gotten everything settled, they all lounged around in one of the rooms, casually chatting, though they were starting to get hungry and irritable. 

"We'll go pick up some food, be back in around half an hour." TJ and Devon, the last of the crew in the room, wave goodbye to the two as they leave. 

After the door shuts, both of the boys stretch and plop down on their respective beds. For a little while, they just lay around and get out their devices, checking emails, finalizing any last-minute works, and checking social media occasionally. It wasn't until a little after six that they put everything away, they started a conversation over the upcoming investigation instead, trying to occupy themselves.

"Terrified of the demon comin' to bite ya?" Shane and Ryan had been going back and forth about the usual things, the feeling the house gave off, the demon's existence, nothing new for them. 

Ryan, who had come to sit by Shane, lightly punched his shoulder. "Shut up, Shane. I'm more worried about it trying to rip out your spine!" Ryan then went into a poor imitation of Shane, smiling like a goof. 

It was times like these that Shane loved to cherish, file away into memory. When he and Ryan simply talked, existed in the same space together exchanging light-hearted banter and jokes. 

"Sure, little guy." Shane leaned back on his hands, grinning at his co-host with barely held in laughter. Ryan simply looked affronted, though he was, too, holding back his amusement. 

The moment was then interrupted by a knocking on their door, TJ yelling at them to come and grab their food. Without a word, the two of them got up to go eat with the others, the next few hours consisting of them all laughing and talking.

Though the time did come, at last, for them to go to the dreaded demon house, well, Ryan dreaded. Shane was ready for the expected to happen, some noises, maybe a couple of whispers, and Ryan jumping at anything and everything. Meanwhile, he will make his snarky remarks, laughing at his companion's jumpiness, and calming him down when he gets too ramped up. The normal stuff. 

When they arrived, Ryan already looked close to passing out. His face was, almost, deathly pale, and his hands shook.

"Shane, you cannot say this place doesn't look even a little horrific." Ryan's voice sounded just as shaky as one would suspect. Shane laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping it provided comfort. The shorter man let out a small, appreciative sigh at the gesture, giving Shane a timid smile. 

"Don't worry, those little ghosties won't be able to get ya." He joked, looking down at Ryan with a wink, "not with me around, at least." Shane put his hands on his hips in fought over-confidence, letting his lips curl into a wild smile. Ryan chuckled softly with amusement at his antics, his shoulders relaxing moderately from the joke. Shane took a moment and let his smile become something softer, "really, don't worry, you'll be okay, Ryan." Ryan's jaw dropped a bit in surprise at the sincerity.

"I- uh, thanks, Shane." He sputtered over his words, but he recovered quickly, giving him a genuine smile before going turning to the crew who were still getting some of the equipment set up. "We almost ready to get it going?" He got a few nods in confirmation. Satisfied, Ryan took out his phone, glancing over the script to give himself a distraction as he waited for everything. 

Shane allowed his co-host to indulge if it made him feel better, who was he to stop him? He took the time to study the house they currently stood in front of, he had to admit it looked comically horrific, though he wouldn't say it seemed haunted. Though, of course, he wouldn't be the best judge of that. The building stood tall, almost like a tower in a way, most of its windows appeared to be broken in, some even missing. The wood that made the majority of the house, not counting the chimney, seemed to either be rotting or loose from the frame. In other words, the house looked like a safety hazard, just waiting for one of them to fall, trip, or have it collapse on them. 

"Ryan," He tapped his friend's shoulder to get his attention, "I'm not sure about you, but this house looks like it wants to kill us." Shane gave a small, sharp laugh, gesturing towards the building in question. Ryan playfully gave a raise of his eyebrows, smirking in a way that could only be called smug. 

"Are you scared, Shane?" Ryan broke off into a small fit of giggles, though he tried to stifle them, unsuccessfully. Shane opened his mouth to respond, but he found himself blanking on his words, his eyes scanning over Ryan's face as he took in what was before him. Ryan's cheeks were flushed slightly pink from the small chill, his big smile showing off the pearl white teeth, he looked stunning. Apparently, he had been staring because Ryan was snapping his fingers in front of his face."You're not possessed already, are you?" He chuckled nervously, though it did nothing to hide the small bit of worry showing on his face.

"Rest assured, Bergara, no demon is up in here," he took his finger and pointed at his head, attempting to give an amused smile. Judging by Ryan's expression, it didn't seem all too convincing, he looked like he was about to ask if he was okay when Devon spoke up, telling them they were ready to start. Shane turned towards Devon, giving her a brief thumbs-up before patting Ryan on the back. "Let's go catch us some ghouls," he drawled, flashing a big smile before walking over to help gather the equipment. 

*

Shane had expected Ryan to be jumpy, hell, he had seen the man flat out scream at the top of his lungs from a scare. However, this house seemed to beat the others by a landslide. He didn't appear to be at Sallie House panic level yet, but he seemed to be pretty damn close. 

Another knock got Ryan to scramble backward, a yell escaping his lips as he found himself backed up against Shane, eyes wide and filled with terror. The noises in the house were plentiful and happened frequently, Ryan swears that the place is haunted by the assumed demon, Shane would simply offer that the house is old, run-down, and settling. 

He put his hands on his buddy's shoulders carefully, making sure to be as gentle as possible so he wouldn't kick off the panic attack working its way to the surface. 

"Hey, hey, hey, Ry, it's okay, man, the house is just making some funky sounds, you know how this goes." He spoke softly, but with an inkling of humor in an effort to calm him down. Ryan shook his head frantically, murmuring something quietly to himself. Shane couldn't hear what it was, but he had a feeling it was Ryan's own way of trying to chill out. Shane leaned closer to him so he could whisper in his ear, "do we need to take a break and cut the shoot?" His co-host stayed still, except the shaking, to seemingly think over the question. 

Suddenly, Ryan spun around to face him, gazing at him with fear glazing his eyes over. His hair was disheveled from the number of times he had run his hands through it, to put it simply, he couldn't have looked any more frightened. Shane opened his mouth to repeat the question when Ryan leaned forward, collapsing against his chest. Shane stood there, dumbfounded, before slowly bringing up his arms to wrap them gently around the smaller man's back. The thing is, Ryan and Shane have hugged a couple of times before, but most times was because of a video, not because it was sincere. It did, sometimes, make him feel a little upset that he and his closest friend didn't hug or show much affection, but he's learned to get used to it. 

He looked down at the top of Ryan's head, "Hey, it's okay, Ry." Shane glanced back up at Mark, giving him a nod to signal the end of the shoot. Ryan showed no sign that he heard him, his tight grip not letting up even when Shane rubs his back in slow circles. The silence continued to drag on, the others had left the room to give them some privacy as he held the smaller. It eventually got to be too much, and Shane cleared his throat softly before muttering, "Ryan, I need you to nod if you can hear me." He waited a brief moment with bated breath before letting it out in one big sigh as his friend's head moved in a nodding motion. Shane was thankful that he was aware, it'd make soothing his nerves a thousand times easier.

"I'm sorry." Ryan's timid words were muffled by Shane's shirt, though he could still make them out clearly. He simply held him tighter, trying to draw him even further against his body, allowing his head to rest on the silky black hair. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ry, you got a little spooked, that's okay." Shane hoped his words came across as comforting because he believed every bit of it. Ryan had nothing to apologize for, sometimes you can get a little afraid, and there isn't anything wrong with that. He felt his co-host slowly release himself, stepping away from the hug, and Shane had to suppress a near whimper at the loss of the warmth. 

"No, not for... that, for the hug, that was- nevermind, I'm just- I'm sorry." Ryan's eyes looked glistening, though they thankfully didn't appear to be glazed over anymore. He wouldn't look at him, however, and it hurt, he wanted to reach out again. He wished he could pull his friend back to his chest and protect from anything, everything. 

"Don't apologize for that, it- Ryan, friends can hug each other, even guy friends," Shane explained, his arms gesturing between the two of them. 

Ryan scrubbed a hand over his face, "I know, I just- damn, sorry, I didn't mean to make this weird." The smaller man gave a nervous laugh, one that seemed void of any and all humor, Shane never wanted to hear him laugh like that again if he could help it. He shook his thoughts away, putting a hand on Ryan's shoulder like he's done so many times before.

"Don't worry about it, man, and stop apologizing! It's weird to hear you say it so much." That got a laugh out of his friend, a much more genuine, if still slightly nervous, one. Shane lifted his hand, though he didn't want to, and pointed to the other room where the crew had been waiting. "Ready to go kick some demon ass, little guy?" 

"You bet it, long legs." Ryan matched his smirk with a wide one of his own, and he found himself being blinded by the brightness of it. Damn, he really needed to get a hold on these random thoughts. 

They carried on like usual for the majority of the shoot, going into multiple rooms, doing a couple of EVP's, in which Ryan insists he heard a demonic figure tell them to "get out." So, all in all, the usual occurrences. That was until they had the last room left, it was supposedly the most active room in the entire building. 

"So, run this by me again, exactly what happened in here?" Shane spoke with wide eyes, his lips turning upwards into a smile as he struggled not to laugh. Honestly, it sounded horrible but still seemed utterly ridiculous. 

"A woman who used to live here claimed that her dog was possessed and that, in this room, he would run himself into the walls!" Ryan's voice sounded higher than normal, and that just made Shane pitch over in uncontrollable laughter. Ryan gave a surprised chuckle, "holy shit, dude." Shane put a hand over his eyes, wiping at the small stream of tears that had escaped.

"That's horrible, I know, but-" he stopped to take a quick breath, "Ryan, the dog ran itself into the walls!" Shane barely finished his statement before he continued wheezing uncontrollably. 

"Yeah, laugh now, Madej, but just wait until its making you run into the walls! Could you imagine the broken nose? The hospital bills?" Ryan joked, clutching his stomach as his own fit of giggles shined through. 

They both took a second to get their breathing under control, and once they had calmed down, they continued to investigate the room. 

Look, Shane knew he should've seen it coming. He should've known it would happen, but he hadn't.

Ryan took a step forward near an older closet, the telltale creaks of the floorboard sounding like a scream in a dead silent forest. Yet, nothing could be as loud as the sound of the rotten floor giving way, and Ryan falling right through. 

Multiple shouts rang all at once, the ones from the crew, Ryan's own shout, but the loudest, most desperate one came from Shane as he watched his friend plummet. 

The silence that followed was sickening, all of them barely had time to react before a wild scream came from the floor beneath, Ryan's scream. All of them raced down the stairs, though Shane was quicker than them, at least his long legs came in handy for once. 

Ryan was on the ground, the screaming still going, and just as ear-piercing as it was from the floor above. He rushed over and, as lightly as he could manage, grabbed his friend by the shoulders.

"Ryan! Ryan, hey, Ryan, can you hear me?" Shane knew he sounded frantic- no, not frantic, scared. When Ryan didn't stop Shane just pulled him up and close to his chest, murmuring reassurances in his ear, even if he presumably couldn't hear the words. It only took a minute or two of that before Ryan's screamed stopped, though it felt like a million years. 

Shane pulled back slowly, never fully letting go of him, and looked over Ryan, checking for any sort of injury. He knows he should've thought to do that first, but his focus had been sorely on getting Ryan's scream to stop.

He nearly collapsed right then and there from the relief of finding nothing on him and looked back up to meet eyes with his friend. 

"Are you okay?" It was a simple question, he knew, but he needed an answer. He couldn't begin to describe the fear and the adrenaline racing through him. 

"Ye- Yeah, I'm fine." Ryan's voice sounded hoarse, which would make sense. He then looked around, seeing Shane's worried gaze and the crew's faces that matched. "It was just a fall, I'm okay." 

Shane's face hardened, and Ryan did a double-take. 

"Ryan. You were screaming, you wouldn't stop." He spoke solemnly, his face scrunching up as a whirlwind of emotions bombarded him. Ryan cocked his head to one side, clearly confused, but understanding the weight of the situation, he decided not to push it. 

"Hey, big guy, I'm okay now." Ryan smiled reassuringly, supplying a gentle squeeze to Shane's shoulders, "but I might need some help getting up." He tacked on with a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood. It appeared to have worked as everyone gave a half-hearted snort and Shane pulled him up, helping to steady him. 

"Let's get back, huh? I think we've all had enough of this place." Shane smiled brightly, an arm around Ryan's shoulders for support. The crew agreed, and they set out to collect the remaining equipment they left behind in their scramble to get downstairs. Meanwhile, Shane and Ryan hobbled outside to the car, both of them glad to be out of the house.

The car ride back was tense, but mostly uneventful. Ryan and Shane were in the back seat with TJ and Devon in the front once again. Mark, with most of the supplies, rode in the separate car they had. 

Ryan had soon fallen asleep in the back, no doubt exhausted from everything he experienced. 

Shane watched his friend sleep silently, brooming worry still sitting in his gut. He wouldn't forget those screams, not anytime soon. 

He'll have to keep a close eye on his friend, then.

**Author's Note:**

> So if you read to the end, congrats, thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed, and once again if you have any tips go ahead and let me know! I'm not all too experienced in writing stories, but I'd love to get better!
> 
> I can't wait to finish the next chapter, who knows what'll happen ;)


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